Poll: Kaine Leads Allen in Va. Senate Race

By Julie Sobel

Democratic nominee Tim Kaine holds a 7-point lead over GOP opponent George Allen in Virginia's Senate race going into the final week of the election, according to a new Washington Postpoll released on Sunday.

Kaine leads Allen, 51 percent to 44 percent -- just a slight change from the Post's mid-September poll, in which the Democrat led 51 percent to 43 percent.

Allen is underperforming Mitt Romney in the new survey: The presidential race is tight in Virginia, with President Obama winning 51 percent to Romney's 47 percent.

Fifty-seven percent of likely voters have a favorable view of Kaine, while 33 percent see the former governor unfavorably. Allen is viewed favorably by 50 percent, while 37 have an unfavorable view of him.

Kaine draws more cross-party support: While 2 percent of Democrats back Allen, 9 percent of Republicans support Kaine. And there's a significant gender gap, with Kaine holding an 18-point lead among women while Allen has a small, 4-point lead among men.

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The poll surveyed 1,228 likely voters from October 22-26. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points.

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